Landlord gas safety certificate (CP12)

What the law actually requires

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, a landlord has three core duties in relation to gas.

1. Maintenance. Gas pipework, appliances and flues must be maintained in a safe condition. This is a continuing duty, not an annual one.
2. Annual safety check. Every gas appliance and flue in the property must be checked for safety at intervals of no more than twelve months, by a registered engineer.
3. Records. A record of the check must be given to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to any new tenant before they move in. Records must be kept for two years.

The duty sits with the landlord. It does not transfer to a managing agent unless that is explicitly agreed, and even then the landlord remains responsible in law. It applies to appliances the landlord owns; a tenant’s own appliance is generally the tenant’s, though the landlord still has duties in relation to the flue and the installation pipework serving it.

What gets checked

The check covers every gas appliance and flue in the property, and the installation serving them:

• Appliance operation – that it is working properly and burning correctly.
• Combustion performance, by analyser where the appliance type allows.
• Flue integrity and terminal position – that combustion products are being removed safely and the terminal is correctly located.
• Ventilation – that permanent ventilation provisions are present, adequate and unobstructed. Blocked-up airbricks are a recurring find.
• Safety devices – that every protective device operates correctly.
• Gas tightness of the installation, and operating pressure.
• Installation pipework, visually, along its accessible length.

Note what is not included: this is a safety check, not a service. It establishes whether the appliance is safe today; it does not include the cleaning and maintenance a manufacturer’s warranty requires. A boiler under warranty in a let property needs both, and it is usually sensible to have them done in the same visit.

The record, and what the codes mean

You receive a gas safety record listing every appliance, the checks carried out, and any defects found. Where something is wrong it is classified, and the classification determines what happens next.

An ID or AR classification means the appliance is turned off, and it means the property may not be lettable in its current state. That is a reason to book checks with enough margin to put something right, not the day before a tenancy starts.

Practical points for landlords

• Access is the usual problem, not the engineer. The regulations expect landlords to take reasonable steps to gain access, and to document those attempts. Keep a record of letters, texts and missed appointments – it is your evidence of having taken all reasonable steps.
• Tenancy agreements should require access for safety checks. If yours does not, add it at renewal.
• Book around the tenant. We would rather work with a tenant’s schedule than turn up twice, and a tenant who is treated considerately lets you in next year.
• Multiple properties should be scheduled together. A portfolio on one renewal cycle is far easier to manage than twelve separate anniversaries – see landlords and letting agents.
• Keep the records for at least two years, and give the tenant a copy within 28 days. A check that happened but was not issued is a breach.
• There is no legal equivalent for oil, but an oil-fired let with no service history is still a liability, and most insurers will ask.
• Carbon monoxide alarms are a separate legal requirement in rented property in England – in any room used as living accommodation containing a fixed combustion appliance, with repairs or replacement when a tenant reports a fault.